(Relaxnews) – As technology races on at lightning speed into 2014, what does the future hold for web design? According to The Next Web (TNW), many of the trends we saw develop over the course of 2013 will continue to be popular, while design in general will become more aesthetically minimalistic.

Fancy fonts will be at the forefront of the profession, according to TNW, as designers start to use typography as a means of expressing their uniqueness. Simplistic ‘flat design’ will continue to reign supreme, following the success of iOS7, with drop shadows and gradients looking increasingly outdated. The pared-back trend will also be reinforced by a taste for extremely simple and minimalistic color palettes, while possibly spelling the end for the sidebar as layouts become less crowded.

Sliders are also out, to be replaced by ‘large hero areas’, or pictorial introduction areas of webpage with very little text, TNW claims. Meanwhile, mobile Web continues to take up designers’ energy as mobile web devices confirm their hold on the market, with developers focusing on features such as long scrolling sites (which will also become more prevalent on mainstream sites) and easier integration with social media.

Vine, launched in January of 2013, was just the beginning: video is increasingly becoming the communication channel of choice and this will be reflected in website design, with brands using the media to engage with users rather than text. Ever-shortening attention spans will also mean that when text does appear, it will rarely be more than 250 characters, as content becomes simpler and appears in quick bursts, explains TNW.

Vintage-style photos aren’t just for Instagram, and many websites will be using photo techniques over the coming year to give their images a rustic feel, TNW states. Finally, quirky and unexpected techniques such as the use of HTML5 to animate different site areas will go from strength to strength in 2014, taking web design to the next level.